Organic produce is hard to come by in Beirut. Even in the humblest of vegetable shops, the items resemble members of the local bodybuilding community, swollen and pumped full of steroids. So the sight of some grubby, stunted, purple carrots in the Souk el Tayeb farmers market stops me in my tracks — and, if the benefits of organic food are beginning to be felt in Beirut, then Qi Juices is one company spreading the news. It’s early morning on a busy Saturday, and the juices at the company’s understated stall, derived from certified organic farms throughout Lebanon, are all but sold out, as cofounder Hana Alireza pours me a capful of “Morning Greens.” Eyeing the fennel based vegetable juice suspiciously, I note that it shares its color and consistency with stagnant pond water — so my first sip is cautious. Founded by Leila Fakih Nashabe and Hana Alireza in
